Dance4Life
by arcanelegacy
Summary: Tony buys a house in Dubai a week before his birthday and decides to break it in the best way he knows how: by throwing the biggest birthday party possible. Movie!verse; Pre-Iron Man  by several years ; Gen


**Disclaimer: **Anything not immediately recognizable as a registered trademark of Marvel and/or Paramount Pictures is probably mine. Anything you do recognize I'm simply borrowing.

**Author's Note: **In my infinite wisdom, I decided one night in May 2010 I was going to write an Iron Man-related, one-shot fic for every song that Tiësto included in his _Elements of Life _set list. This amounts to forty-one fics for forty-one songs. The stories don't really have anything to do with the songs, though (ie - these are definitely not songfics).

As the stories are generally not interconnected by anything other than their titles' origins, I have decided _not_ to post them all in a single entry, but to treat them as the separate stories they all are.

Additionally, these aren't beta'd before I post them. I try my best to self-edit, but after spending days staring at the same document I've a slight tendency to assume words that aren't there...actually are. Unfortunately, this means that there might be a few missing words, typos, and/or grammatical errors somewhere in the text, to say nothing of the occasional slip in characterization. If you notice anything, please point it out to me and I would be glad to fix it!

**Summary:** _To__ny buys a house in Dubai a week before his birthday and decides to break it in the best way he knows how: by throwing the biggest birthday party possible._

**Other:** Iron Man Movie!verse; Pre-Iron Man; gen

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><p><strong>Dance 4 Life<strong>

Pepper had barely made it into the workshop before Tony turned to her and announced, "I bought a place in Dubai." He flashed her a grin.

"You…bought a place in Dubai," she echoed, her tone hovering between a statement and a question. Tony could practically see the gears turning in her head, wondering where on earth the money for this new house in Dubai had come from and just how recently it had drained his bank accounts.

Which, if Tony knew Pepper's schedule at all (which he did), she'd checked just that morning.

He nodded. "It's very nice. Fewer windows than here, but it gets a lot warmer in Dubai. Still has some stunning views. You should see it."

"And… What would you like to do with it, Mr. Stark?"

Tony turned and looked at her. "I want to break it in," he said, as though this were the obvious answer – which it was, of course. What else would he do with a brand new mansion in Dubai? "My birthday is next week. Let's throw a birthday party."

Pepper's lips became a thin line for a split second before spreading into a thin smile. "Of course, Mr. Stark." She made a few quick notes on her PDA. "Shall I clear your schedule or would you like to keep the appointments we already have set?"

"Clear my schedule."

Pepper nodded and made a few more notes on her PDA. "Is there…anyone in particular you would like to invite to your housewarming birthday party?"

"The usual crowd. Make sure there's an ice sculpture. No swans this time. I don't like swans. I do want fireworks. Lots of fireworks. Oh, and hire a DJ, too. A good DJ."

Pepper looked up from her PDA. Her eyebrows rose. "There are a number of good DJs out there, Mr. Stark. I'm afraid you are going to have to be more specific."

"I don't know," Tony replied. The details were hardly his responsibility, anyway. "Get me the biggest one."

Two ice sculptures – neither of them swans, though one toed the line by being an eagle (the other was a seal) – served as centerpieces on two long tables piled high with hors d'oerves. His hired chefs were inside his four-star kitchen, preparing the next course. The bar was at the near end of the patio, by the doors leading into the mansion, and the DJ was at the far end, closer to the pool. A set of top-of-the-line speakers piped music to every corner of the mansion, including the garage.

Tony stood in the wings of a sweeping balcony overlooking the entire backyard, from the patio to the infinity pool that overlooked the gulf. In a few minutes, when the guests had finished filling in and they were all holding drinks, he'd step out, give his little speech, and launch the party.

Until then, he would wait.

Wait and…tap his foot in time with the beat, apparently. Right now the DJ was playing a more mellow set, and Tony found himself surprised that anything in the obnoxious, overly synth-y, repetitive dance genre could be even _resemble_ mellow. This DJ _was_ good.

What was his name? Tijs? TBA? Pesto? – Pepper would know. He just had to find her and ask…

And, like magic, there she was. Mostly just to make sure his shirt wasn't wrinkled before she ducked back down to the kitchen, but even so. "Who's the DJ?"

"Tiësto, Mr. Stark."

"And he's big?"

Pepper lifted her eyes to meet his. "His current album tops almost all of the European charts and is number one on the Billboard Dance and Electronic Chart. He interrupted his very busy world tour schedule to be here because I promised that Stark Industries would help out with the stage effects of his next concert." She paused, absently adjusting Tony's collar. "There is also an army of fans at the far gate hoping they can get in to your very exclusive birthday party just to see him. I have never seen so many glow sticks."

"So he is good." Tony felt a small twinge. Perhaps he should have gone with the _second_ biggest DJ in the world, just to make sure he wouldn't be outshined at his own party.

"That seems to be popular opinion."

"Good enough."

"I'm glad you approve, Mr. Stark." Pepper straightened his tie, then stepped back from him. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

"Yes, Ms. Potts. That'll be all."

She smiled. "Let me know if you need anything else. Your adoring audience awaits." Then she turned and walked away, back into the quieter recesses of the mansion.

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><p>In retrospect, Tony Stark realized he didn't give Pepper enough credit for anything she did. He thought momentarily of rectifying that mistake somehow – maybe taking her to Paris for a month – but that thought was quickly lost in the sounds of applause as he walked onto his sprawling patio.<p>

"Good evening, Dubai!" he called, waving languidly, and the crowd broke into a roaring round of applause. A blonde – the ditzy kind with a dye-job, nose job, boob job, and way too much time spent on a tanning bed – whistled and cheered at him from the crowd, waving frantically to get his attention.

He ignored her, his gaze zeroing in on a tall, leggy, gorgeous brunette in the second row.

He pointed at her, then winked and said, "I'll see you later." This was met with a few appreciative chuckles and a warm smile from his brunette. "Anyway," Tony continued, turning back to the rest of the crowd, "so tomorrow is my birthday." He paused again suddenly, looking at his watch. Seconds to midnight. He smiled, holding up a finger, waiting as the clock turned over to midnight. "_Now_ it's my birthday. And since it's my birthday, I get to do whatever I want. And I say I want to _party_." Tony raised his glass to the DJ, and Tiësto grinned, nodded, and cranked the music back up.

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><p>Tony awoke an untold number of hours later and slipped out of bed, leaving more girls than he'd remembered inviting scattered around his bedroom. Most of them were in various states of undress, and those wearing less clothing got a closer cursory look than the others. You know. Just in case he wanted to see one or two of them again.<p>

Lightly cradling his left temple in his hand, Tony padded around the mansion, looking for Pepper. Had they been back home he'd have known exactly where she was, but in this new place neither of them had set up a routine yet.

He eventually found her sitting on a lounge chair outside, sipping a cup of coffee and reading a book. The sun hung low in the sky, but Tony wasn't sure if it was early morning or late evening. Back home, he'd know for sure (living on the west coast made it quite easy to tell – if the sun was on the water it was evening, if it wasn't…it wasn't) but here he was disoriented, his ability to align himself to the cardinal directions completely shot.

Sensing he was there, Pepper spoke. "How is your head?" she asked, her voice low enough that it didn't hurt to hear.

"Pounding," he replied. "What time is it?"

"Late afternoon."

Tony dragged a hand down his face, lingering over his eyes and then turning the gesture into a vigorous scratch at his stubbly chin. "What day?"

Pepper snorted softly. "Your birthday. You haven't quite slept through it." She reached over to an end table she'd set up beside her lounge chair and handed him a bottle of orange juice and a pair of his sunglasses. "Drink this," she said. "I'll go make you something to eat."

"No, don't. I'll have the chefs do it."

"They've all gone home, Mr. Stark. I will not call them back for this." Pepper rose and motioned for Tony to take her place on the lounge chair. "Would you like to me to call cabs for your…guests…while I am up?"

Tony said nothing, knowing that she'd interpret his silence as an affirmative. Instead he followed her orders to sit on the lounge chair, mostly because sitting was a really good idea. He also slipped on the sunglasses Pepper had handed him. He found they fit perfectly. They were lightweight and sleek, balanced on his head, stylish…

He turned to Pepper.

She smiled. "Those are your birthday present from Happy, by the way. Completely customized. He had them made before we left the states. They should hold up against anything you'd like to put them through—" she paused just long enough to menace him with a finger "—and I will personally make you regret it if you decide to _test_ that."

Then she turned and walked away, pausing briefly inside the sliding glass door. Tony heard it open, but hadn't yet heard her feet on the floors inside.

Pepper said, "Happy birthday, Mr. Stark."

Tony smiled, pushing the sunglasses up on the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. "Thank you, Ms. Potts."


End file.
